1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new type of memorial marker for use at a gravesite in a cemetery to provide information on the deceased person that is buried there and to mark the gravesite.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently available memorial markers are generally of two basic types, i.e. a marker created entirely of granite, marble or concrete, or alternately, a marker created from cast metal, such as bronze, that is created by a casting process such as traditional sand casting. Manufacture of both of these types of markers is labor intensive and thus both are very expensive to make and both must be sold to the consumer for a high price. Also, both types of markers must be produced at a remote manufacturing facility and transported to the gravesite. This adds to the cost of the markers and to the time delay in getting a marker set at a gravesite. Also, both types of markers are difficult or impossible to repair when they are damaged, such as when the marker is struck by a lawn mower or run over by a vehicle. Often when this type of damage occurs, the entire marker must be removed from the gravesite and replaced. This makes these types of markers expensive to maintain. Since the damage to the marker may occur many years after the marker was initially installed, often the family of the deceased person for whom the marker was purchased will not have the money to replace the marker and the damaged marker will remain at the gravesite.
The present invention addresses these shortcomings by providing a new type of marker that is esthetically pleasing and is durable. This new marker looks similar to cast bronze memorial markers and can withstand the elements as well or better than currently available memorial markers. Also, the present invention is constructed with less expensive materials and by a method that is less labor intensive, making the memorial markers easier and cheaper to make, thus greatly reducing the cost of the marker to the consumer. The present invention is also assembled with modular elements that can be added to the marker by the local funeral home, making it possible to reduce the delay in having a marker installed at the gravesite and making repairs to the marker cheaper and easier. Finally, the memorial marker of the present invention offers features not presently available in currently available markers, such as a sealed and locked compartment in the marker for including mementos or information relating to the deceased person and a remote locating device for allowing family members to use a hand-held device to assist in locating a specific memorial marker in a cemetery.
The present invention is a new type of memorial marker for use in marking the gravesite of a deceased person and the method for producing the marker. The memorial marker is created from a top sheet of bronze and a mating bottom sheet of bronze that are each formed individually into the desired shape for the marker. The sheets of bronze may be formed by a sheet metal pressing process, by pressing the sheets between positive and negative dies, by negative bladder pressing, i.e. pressing the sheets between a negative die and a bladder, by explosive forming, or by any other suitable sheet metal forming process. In the forming process, the top sheet is normally formed so that the top surface is leather looking or smooth. The top sheet may also be formed so that it contains a lower base portion at its perimeter, contains an opening for a vase, contains downwardly facing, threaded bolt receiving slugs, and contains internal elements such as bolt receiving slugs or resealable compartments for holding memorabilia or remote locating devices. Screw receiving holes for receiving screws that will secure external elements to the top surface of the marker may be formed into the top sheet when the sheet undergoes sheet metal forming, or alternately, may be created in the top sheet after the top sheet is formed.
The bottom sheet is formed into a configuration so that it is provided with an upwardly extending lip at its perimeter and the top sheet is also formed into a configuration so that it is provided with a downwardly extending lip at its perimeter. The bottom sheet is slightly smaller that the top sheet so that the upwardly extending lip of the bottom sheet is capable of being received within the downwardly extending lip of the top sheet to form a void between the top and bottom sheets.
Once the top and bottom sheets are formed into the desired configuration, the bottom sheet is filled with a castable filler material that will harden. The top sheet is then lowered over the bottom sheet so that the castable filler material fills the void created between the top and bottom sheets. The top and bottom sheets are then secured together at the edge of the downward extending lip of the top sheet, via welding or other suitable means.
At this point, various external elements that will be secured to the top surface of the top sheet are created. These external elements may include the family name of the deceased person, the first and middle name or initial of the deceased person, the dates of birth and death for the deceased person, decorative edging for the marker, locking lids for any internal resealable compartments that were added to the marker when the top and bottom sheets were formed, and flower vase sleeves and vases. Each of these external elements may be formed from additional sheets of bronze by a sheet metal forming process, or alternately, if the family prefers, may be made from cast bronze. External elements of cast bronze will be more expensive and will require longer to create since they must be produced by the same labor intensive methods currently employed to create cast bronze memorial markers.
Screw holes will be made in the external elements as need to secure the external elements to the predrilled screw receiving holes that were previously formed in the top sheet of the marker. The screw holes may be created in the external elements when they are formed, may be created in the external elements after the elements are formed, or may be created in the external elements during the casting process for those elements that are made from cast bronze.
Once the external elements have been created, they are secured to the top sheet of the memorial marker via screws that insert through the screw holes in the external elements and engage the screw receiving holes in the top sheet of the memorial marker.
The memorial marker is then secured to a base. The base will normally be a slab of granite, marble or pre-formed concrete. The slab of granite, marble or concrete is predrilled so that it contains bolt openings extending through the slab from bottom to top and the bolt openings are aligned with the threaded bolt receiving slugs. In order to secure the marker to the slab, bolts are first inserted through large washers, then through the slab from the bottom side, and then are threaded into the threaded bolt-receiving slugs. The bolts are then turned until the marker is firmly secured to the slab.
Once the marker is secured to the slab, the slab and marker are ready to be installed at the gravesite. If the slab is of granite or marble, cement is generally added to a hole underneath where the slab is to be placed in order that the slab will be sufficiently supported. If the slab is of concrete, the addition of a cement pad underneath the slab is not necessary and the concrete slab can be placed directly on the ground at the desired location.